Traditional Sacred Places of Kukmor Udmurts in the 19 and early 20 century

The article is devoted to the historical and folk materials on sacred places of Kukmor Udmurts in the 19 and early 20 century on an example the rural locality of Staraja Ucha. Kukmor Udmurts (Kukmor and Mamadysh districts of Tatarstan) together with Baltasy (Baltasy district of Tatarstan) and Karlygan Udmurts (Mari-Turek district of Mary El) form ethno-territorial group of Zaviatsk (Arsk) Udmurts. Since ancient times they have lived on the right bank of the Viatka river, in an isolation from the basic Udmurt ethnic area, mostly in Tatar environment. The locality Staraja Ucha includes about ten related villages; the base of their inhabitants had been represented by Ucha clan's peoples. From religious and socio-cultural views the village of Staraja Ucha (udm. Vuzhgurt 'old village') had occupied the central structure-formed position among other settlements. There was all-community sacred place Kuris'kon 'application/prayer'. It was worshiped by inhabitants of all neighboring villages, which had moved from the Staraja Ucha village before. So Staraja Ucha was considered as a central maternal settlement for peoples of the locality, and the prayers held in the public shrine Kuris'kon served as a factor of a consolidation of the peoples, as well as a symbol of spiritual connection between generations of the human population (living, dead ancestors and future generations). The role of an all-village cult place was carried out by the sacral building of Great kuala. In some households there were sacral buildings of mudor kuala (mudor family and patrimonial protector) worshipped by a certain patronymy or clan. The sacral center of such building was a stone mudor. Other kind of pre-Christian shrines were sacred groves lud for prayers to the patronymic's deity. There were four sacred groves Norel lud 'Norel's grove, Byzho lud 'Byzho's grove, Gurjan lud 'Guijan's grove and Esymbaj lud 'Esymbaj's grove, worshiped by four clans (related associations) in the village of Staraja Ucha. In addition, Kukmor and Baltasy Udmurts also performed religious ceremonies at two large territorial shrines such as the Nyrj a Kuriskon and Lake of Lyzy. These data allow us to reconstruct the character (nature) of traditional ethno-social structure of the ethnos, each person of which was a member of a small family or patronymy, clan or tribal groups, and community. Each rural locality had its own religious center. In turn, all peoples lived on the Viatka River's right bank were incorporated (combined) the ethno-territorial association Zaviatsk (Arsk) Udmurts. Large territorial sanctuaries Nyrja Kuriskon and Lake of Lyzy were unique sacral value of this ethnic division and carried out ethno consolidating functions for them. We have no data on all-Udmurt sanctuaries that is corresponded with the level of Udmurt ethnic consolidation in the 19 and early 20 century.

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